Heat-exchange apparatus



April 8, 1930. c. E. SAFFORD 1,753,318

HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS Filed May 12 1925 2 Sheeti-Sheet 1 arig I 'AITTOENFV April 8, 1930. c. E. sAFFoRD' 1,753,313

I HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS I 7 Filed May 12 1925, 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VVE/V7'De-' CZHBE/VCE 5501-020 Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLARENCE E. SAFFORD, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 ALTON H. GREELEY OF CLEVELAND, OHIO HEAT-EXCHANGE ArrARA'rUs Application filed May 12, 1925. Serial No. 29,680.

This invention relates to the construction of. devices adapted to heat, cool and condense fluids by means of other fluids through indirect action, and theobjects of this invention are to produce a heat exchange-apparatus which, first, will have a maximum capacity for-the space occupied; second, wherein the contained fluid may freely circulate and thus conduce to'rapid'interchange of heat; third, wherein there are no pockets toretard the flow or to hold fluids when the device has been installed thus avoiding all danger of corrosion; fourth, which shall be constructed of thin sheet metal which will permit rapid interchange of heat; and fifth, which will be so light that it can be handled and installed with minimum labor.

This invention is embodied in a heat exchange apparatus formed of two sheets of metal bent into a succession of folds whose ends are brought together and permanently secured together by brazing or welding, the

lateral edges of the sheet being permanently united, and the edges of the sheet metal between the joints at the ends of the folds being flattened and permanently secured to troughshaped strips of metal which are preferably segments of cylinders so as to completely close the apparatus at the edges of the folded sheets. g

It further consists in interlocking members I for supporting and sustaining the walls of this apparatus-against pressure.

It also consis'tsinso attaching to the corners of the apparatus one or more pipe coupling members of larger curvature than the trough-shaped strips to which the folded sheets are attached so that when the apparatus is installed it may drain through said coupling members. 7

It also consists in the'details of; construction shown in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the claims.

This application furthermore, in part, constitutes a continuation of my pending application Serial No. 329,218 filed Oct. 8th, 1919,

allowed November. 20th, 1924. V

Fig. 2 represents an end elevation of this improved heat exchange apparatus;

Fig. 3 represents a'plan with a portion of the upper end broken away;

Fig. 4 represents'a transverse vertical sec- Fig. Trepresen'ts a perspective view ofa section of one of the foldedsheets employed to construct the apparatus. I

- Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The illustrated embodiment of my inven tion includes two sheets of metal, a pair of trough-shaped strips to which the ends of'the sheets may be secured connecting members to take up the stresses caused by the pressure within or without the apparatus, and means to connect pipes to the apparatus.

The two sheets 1 and 2am first cut to proper form and then folded, the flanges 3 at the ends of the folds 4 being brought together and secured together by brazing or welding." The edges ofthe sheets between the flanges. 3 constitute flanges. 5 which are attached to the trough-shaped strips 6. These stripsbetween the flanges 5 are preferably segments of cylinders but may be of any other desired crosssection.

The lateral edges of the sheets are formed into straight flanges 7 which are attached to each other and to curved flanges 8 which fit around the coupling members 9 att'he corners of this apparatus. These coupling members are usually internally threaded for part of their length but their inner ends are pref-' erably left blank and fit the outsides of the adjacent ends of the trough-shaped strips 6.

constitute troughs connecting with the coupling members at the ends thereof.

I prefer to secure pairs of angle bars 12 to the opposite faces of the curved portions 13 of the sheets 1 and 2, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, by welding or otherwise, and form feet 16 on the ends of these bars, which feet are attached to the fiat portions 10 of the parts 1 and 2. One of these bars of each pair is secured to the part 1 and the other bar of each pair is secured to the part 2. Each bar is formed with larger and smaller indentations, or, in other words, with oppositely extending projections 14: and 15', the projections 14 of one bar of each pair fitting into the indentations produced by forming the projections 15 on the other bar of the pair.- The sides of these projections 14 are flat so as to produce a strong interlock. The inner curves 13 of thefolds of each side are spaced apart from the similar curves of the opposite side'so as to. leave a large space through which the fluids may flow freely.

After the sheets are folded and formed as shown inFig. 7, the bars 12 are attached thereto and the two halves are brought together and the flanges 7 united. The-couplings 9, are attached to the strips 6 and these parts are then positioned between the flanges 5 and 8. lVhile held in position these flanges are attached to these strips and coupling members by brazing or welding. This completes the apparatus. It will be apparent that instead of two sheets 1 and 2 a single sheet may be properly cut and folded so as to constitute both sides of this apparatus, and being of thin metal and therefore flexible, the interengagement of the projections on the reinforcing bar offers no difliculty. It will also be apparent that the forms and dimensions of the folds may be changed within very wide limits and that the proportions of the various parts may all be changed without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the following claims.

This apparatus is adapted for heating and cooling buildings and heating, cooling and condensing liquids, vapors and gases under all conditions. When the folds are vertical and vapors are confined therein, the liquids which result from condensed vapors will be received by the smooth trough-shaped strip 6 at the bottom of the apparatus and flow to one of the coupling members. As the thickness of the wall of the pipe 17 (Fig. 3) which screws into the coupling memberis' no greater than the thickness of the strip 6, there will be no damming of the liquid which will flow away freely.

As the structure of this apparatus is the same at both strips 6 there is no possibility of any liquids, either heavy or light, being pocketed, and therefore no possibility of any liquid being lodged sufliciently long to cause cor rosion. When the structure is placed with the strips 6 vertical, liquids will flow in either direction along the troughs formed by the parts 10 of the sides to the lowest coupling, the couplings being preferably cut away at 18 to permit free flow of the liquid. So long as the plane passing through all of the couplings is vertical, there are no pockets in which the fluids may lodge, no matter at what angle the strips 6 may be to the horizontal. All the edges of this structure between the coupling members are straight and free flow of liquids is thereby insured.

The folds 4: branch laterally from the central passages formed in part by'the strips 6 so that fluids entering any coupling member will be unobstructed in their passage to every part of the entire structure, and from every part to the discharge passage.

In the construction of the folds or corrugations, the sheet metal is merely bent and is notstretched to any degree so that the danger of cracks being formed is practically absent. If the sheets were so bent and stretched as to bring the flanges 5 together, the metal would be made very thin in spots and pockets would be formed where liquids could collect and where rusting would be inevitable. Furthermore, the pockets are absent at boththe top and the bottom of the structure so that when employed in steam heating, neither air nor water can collect and hammering is elimi nated.

Fig. 4 shows the inner faces of the substantially semi-cylindrical portions 13 of the sheets 1 and 2, quite close together, and the flanges 5 which engage the edges of the trough 6, much further apart. The upper and lower ends of these parts 13 or faces of the corrugations are curved outwardly and flattened until they merge into the flanges 5. WVhen the spaces between the faces 13 and the flanges 5 are substantially equal,

the metal must necessarily be greatly stretched to fit against the troughs 6. But so proportioning the parts that the end portions can be curved gently outward to a straight line, substantially no stretching oocursn The manner of radiator provides, when the flanges 7 are united, a seat at the top and at the bottom of the radiator structure for the reception of the trough-shaped strips or members 6, the seat being provided by the flanges 5. By means of this construction the trough-shaped strips or members 6 may be placed within the seat and welded in place through the continuous sides of the seats formed by the flanges 5.

What I claim is:

1. In a heat exchange apparatus, the combination of a pair of sides folded, bent and welded to produce parallel corrugations having closed ends, the ends of the inner portions of the corrugations being flattened and curved outwardly until they constitute continuous parallel flanges located beyond said corrugations, trough-shaped strips bridging forming thehalves of the said inner portions of the corrugations between the ends thereof, to stiffen the structure.

2. In a heat exchange apparatus, the combination of'a pair of sides folded, bent and welded to produce parallel corrugations being substantially semi-cylindrical between their ends, the ends of said inner portions of the corrugations being curved outwardly until they constitute parallel flanges at the closed ends of said corrugations, the length of the end edges of the sides remaining the shaped members and to the sheet metal sides P adjacent thereto, and means connecting across between the sheet metal sides intermediate the ends thereof and connected to the adjacent bottoms of the corrugations and comprising bars having inter-engaging portions.

4. In a heat exchange apparatus, the combination of a pair of sides folded, bent and welded to produce corrugations having closed ends, trough-shaped strip members bridging the separated portions of said corrugations, and cylindrical coupling members connected with said strip members and the metal constituting said sides at the ends of said strip members, and angle bars, one on each side, having interlocking parts adapted to hold said sides against separation.

5. In a heat exchange apparatus, the combination of a pair of sheet metal sides bent into a succession of outwardly projecting folds and with the ends of the folds brought and permanently fastened together and with the edges of the metal between the folds constituting continuous flanges extending beyond such folds, the flanges at adjacent ends of the two sheets being spaced apart to form seats, and trough-shaped strips in said seats and welded to said flanges, the lateral edges of the sheets being attached to each other, and coupling members attached to said strips and projecting beyond the sides ofthe structure, the metal of the sides being formed to constitute flanges which fit about and are welded to said coupling members.

6. In a heat exchange apparatus, the combination of a pair of sheet metal sides bent and formed to produce a plurality of alternating inwardly and outwardly projecting L corrugations, the ends of the outwardly projecting corrugations being brought together tinuous flanges at adjacent ends of the said sides forming a seat, and a trough-shaped member in each seat and having its sides welded to the flanges thereof, the lateral edges ofsaid sides being provided with longitudinal flanges by which they are welded together, the ends of the last mentioned flanges being spread apart and shaped to form seats, coupling members on the ends of the troughshaped members and resting in the last mentioned seats and welded thereto.

7. In a heat exchange apparatus, the combination of a pair of sheet metal sides folded, bent and welded to produce corrugations having closed ends and having at each end thereof and beyond such corrugations a continuous flange, trough-shaped strip members interosed each between the flanges at adjacent ends of the sides and welded thereto, the lateral edges of said sides being welded together and so shaped as to provide outwardly projecting troughs at such united edges, and coupling members connected to the ends of the trough-shaped members and to the sheet metal sides adjacent thereto, the aforesaid troughs communicating at their ends with a fluid-receiving space constituted by the grough-shaped members and coupling memers. Y

8. In a heat exchange apparatus, the combination of a pair of sheet metal sides bent into a succession of outwardly extending folds and with the ends of the folds perma nentlyfastened together, the metal between the folds providing continuous flanges spaced apart to form a seat for a trough shaped strip, a trough shaped strip engaging said flanges and having its outer edges permanently secured thereto, the lateral edges of said pair of o 

